


Fresh Fake Coffee

by yikesola



Series: Commissions [8]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: 2010, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:27:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21706720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yikesola/pseuds/yikesola
Summary: Dan hadn’t heard Mrs. Lester when he was upstairs, but she’s stirring instant coffee grounds into a long row of mugs: four, one for every person in the house.A ficlet about sips and welcomes.
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Series: Commissions [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1469918
Comments: 18
Kudos: 117





	Fresh Fake Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> This was a commissioned piece for [plinth-of-life](http://plinth-of-life.tumblr.com/) 💞

Dan is glad he’d slipped a shirt on before stepping into the kitchen when he sees Mrs. Lester’s back towards him in her cornflower blue bathrobe. He hadn’t heard her when he was upstairs, but she’s stirring instant coffee grounds into a long row of mugs: four, one for every person in the house. That strikes him as thoughtful. His mum might make a whole pot and give everyone the option to pour themselves a mug, but she wouldn’t scoop and stir their grounds or anything like that. 

He gives a halfhearted yawn, something to get Kath’s attention, but she squeaks out a little _oh!_ anyways with an accompanying jump. The gesture is so like something Phil would do that Dan feels a flood of warmth for her. “Morning,” he says.

“Good morning, love. You sleep well?” 

He knows he slept as well as he could, between the time change from India and the… activities he and Phil got up to (as quietly and carefully as possible but knowing their luck not actually all that quiet) but he probably doesn’t look like it if his mussed hair and tired eyes are any sign. Still, he nods, because the sleep he did get was warm and deep and good, the kind of sleep he’s rarely able to fall into without Phil’s arms around him. And it’d been a long month without those arms. 

It’d been a long month without a lot of things he’d quickly become accustomed too. Like being able to sit down at the Lester’s table beside Kath and sip the coffee she’d made him. It’s a little too sweet for him and he smiles because he figures that means she made it the way Phil likes his. 

There’s a soft sort of smile on Kath’s face as she watches him sip. A sleepy sort of smile. A guard-down and morning not yet started sort of smile. 

He blushes under the weight of it but doesn’t know what to say, other than, “Oh yeah, I was dead on my feet when we landed. Any sleep was gonna be good sleep!” 

“I’ll bet,” Kath laughs, sipping her own mug. Mickey Mouse, a relic from one of their many, many Florida holidays. The ones Phil has told him so much about, and the ones he’s spent so much time watching Phil’s quick videos on trips past. The ones he and Phil have daydreamed about him joining in the future. A bright, sweaty, saturated American future where they’re jetlagged together and buying their own touristy mugs. 

Kath sets her mug down gently. It hardly makes a sound. She clears her throat, and Dan’s heartbeat immediately skyrockets because sitting at a table when a mum clears her throat does not often end without his many failures about to be paraded. So he prepares for it. 

“I’m really happy you’re back, Dan,” Kath says with the same patient smile. “Phil missed you terribly while you were away. And we did too, of course.” 

There’s shuffling overhead. Either Phil or Nigel are making their way downstairs. Dan hopes his rosy patch isn’t giving him away entirely. “Thanks,” he says, taking another sip of the too-sweet coffee. “I’m glad to be back, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading— come say hi on [tumblr](http://yikesola.tumblr.com/post/189531733789/fresh-fake-coffee) !


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